Cardi B's Style Revolution

I started following Cardi B on Instagram in 2o14. If you had told me then that four years later this charismatic stripper from the Bronx who posts hilarious videos to Instagram would be performing at the Grammys alongside one of the biggest music stars on the planet, appearing on the cover of Rolling Stone and speaking out in support of a now unemployed Colin Kaepernick, I probably would have said, "Honestly, yeah, that sounds about right." That much was clear. And even then, with all she’s done so far, I maintain that one of her best and least acknowledged achievements is how she’s managed to position herself as a legitimate style icon in a short period of time.

Named "New York Fashion Week’s Undisputed (and Uncensored) Front Row Queen" by Vogue Magazine, Cardi B found her exact style lane with the help of stylist Kollin Carter, in early 2017, just as her career began to skyrocket. Appropriately, her aesthetic is very much that of a flossed out rapper — sort of a pimptress draped in colorful furs, thigh-high boots, and diamond encrusted watches. She favors monochrome getups in pinks, white, and silver along with a seemingly endless supply of wigs sometimes matched to her outfit. The $500,000 engagement ring gifted to her by her fiancé, rapper Offset, has earned a permanent place on her finger, not shying away from wearing the massive diamonds out in public or onstage. Her looks are as loud and as charming as her exclamations of excitement (owwww), and rarely has a woman’s clothing so perfectly matched her personality.

She’s managed to be distinctive at a time when it’s never been easier not to be, proof of which can be seen just in her choice of sunglasses. Cardi is often found in oversized designer shades that recall Edna Moore from "The Incredibles" or Kurt Cobain, usually dipped in rhinestones or diamonds. Her choice seems specific when many celebrities and trendsetters have been leaning into the smaller, Matrix-style glasses of the 90s. (Kanye West supposedly sent his wife Kim Kardashian a memo instructing her to only wear tiny sunglasses from now on.) It almost feels like a metaphor for how removed she can seem from much of the entertainment industry even as she dominates it — breaking out in a way few people do anymore and not bothering to smooth some of her rougher edges. But it’s also those exact differences that feed the relatable charm her popularity sits on.

Her sartorial relatability is most seen her in continued devotion to Fashion Nova, the fast fashion brand made famous on Instagram. Cardi reportedly earns $20,000 a month from the brand to advertise on social media in what can truly be described as a genius move for both parties. She has a unique gift for making you believe she truly is a fan of the products she’s shilling and would wear them whether or not she was being paid.

My favorite Cardi B for Fashion Nova ad finds her strolling down a sidewalk listing the price of the items she’s wearing: "Shoes, $1200. Glasses, like $400. But bitch, my outfit?" she asks as she twirls in a short chambray jumpsuit, "$20 bitch." She concludes this lesson in financial responsibility instructing her followers: "Know how to budget, hoe." It’s legitimately brilliant and also, perhaps unintentionally, illustrates the trend many of today’s Instagram famous influencers and fashion bloggers follow of wearing affordable, fast fashion clothing brands like Fashion Nova or Missguided and accessorizing with luxury shoes and bags. This one video where she’s simply trying to sell us a $20 romper manages to get to the core of who Cardi is — honest, abrasive, modern, and someone who often makes quite a lot of sense.

Like all bona fide fashion idols, Cardi knows how to pivot. On the red carpet she transitions away from her usual ostentatious looks and instead opts for sweet gowns in soft pastels — most notably a powder blue Christian Siriano ball gown worn to Rihanna’s Diamond Ball. It was a true coming out moment for Cardi with many equating her to Cinderella or a princess — a not insignificant comparison for a woman whose fame was initially built on being a sex worker. When I saw her in that moment it struck me that in many ways she has became the true living embodiment of the 2016 meme, "Get you somebody who can do both," a woman who clearly loves her sexuality and flamboyance, but is also unafraid to be someone we don’t necessarily expect her to be. Or, to quote the less meme-able Walt Whitman, Cardi B contains multitudes — but always, always fashionably.

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